Granted, I personally hated last summer's blockbuster smash Transformers. Regardless, news is still news, and I must report...

For those worried about the forthcoming sequel Revenge of the Fallen being the latest in a line of blockbuster tentpoles filming sequels back-to-back, well director Michael Bay has heard your prayers.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly recently, Bay revealed:

"When we were writing the script, I said to the writers, "' hate sequels that try to make it to the third movie. Pretend like we’re never having a third movie, so let’s go for broke on the second one. I hate those cliffhangers! Let’s just make this movie stand on its own.' I really feel this movie is not a forced sequel."

I gotta admit I'm relieved to hear this myself. I was by no means a fan of the Matrix and Pirates of the Carribbean sequels which relied heavily on said gimmick. Moving on...

Besides being told to "look hot," Megan Fox confessed to Fox News she was ordered by Bay to put on weight for the sequel because "Michael doesn't like skinny girls."

The actress also adds that "at this point Shia and I have been dating for two years so we're at the bickering stage, like an old married couple." I'm sure audiences will be riveted by that plot-thread instead of the giant fighting robots next summer.

And lastly what's any article pertaining to Transformers 2 without a word from... Seth Rogen? On the cover of this month's GQ magazine, the Pineapple Express star admits to playing a role in why his buddy and Superbad co-star Jonah Hill turned down a supporting role in the forthcoming sequel.

“I can see if Steven Spielberg’s calling you, asking you to do something, how that’s hard to turn down,” Rogen says. “But what I said to Jonah was, ‘You want to make a movie about fightin’ robots? Make your own movie about fightin’ robots. You can do that. That’s on the table now.’"

Concept Art from Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen

Artwork from TimFlattery.com

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be released in theatres on June 26, 2009.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Fox News, and GQ